Pool Safety - Pool Cover Specialists Ltd.

Drowning is a major cause of accidental death of young children in Australia and New Zealand. Many drownings and near drownings happen in private homes, in unfenced or inadequately protected swimming pools, spas and hot tubs. A number of public organizations recognise that restricting unsupervised access to pools coupled with constant adult supervision is the primary element in an integrated approach to drowning prevention for young children.

There are three main types of safety equipment worth considering:
	Fence or similar barrier
	Sophisticated pool-alarm system
	Automatic safety cover

As strong advocates of pool safety, PCS recommends multiple layers of protection. We believe automatic safety covers, sometimes referred to as “horizontal fences" provide the best level of protection in that they:
	1. Isolate the water
	2. Support the weight of several adults
	3. Can be extended in seconds

In addition, unlike a partially-closed gate, it is possible to observe whether or not an automatic cover has been fully extended over a pool from a considerable distance. As an automatic cover isolates (hides) the water from view, the natural attraction that water poses to most children is eliminated. Once inside a fence you have unrestricted access to the water - access a cover will eliminate.

To our knowledge, although hundreds of thousands of automatic covers have been installed, there has been no recorded incident of a child drowning in a pool protected by a certified, functional automatic cover system.

In addition to the stand-alone safety benefits, covers are physically useful in situations where fencing may not be, for instance if the physical layout of your yard or pool area makes fencing impractical.

Enquire with your local council regarding a dispensation on pool fencing where a safety cover is in place.

The only safe pool environment is one where young children cannot get access to pool water without adult supervision.